Piano-action.



I. F. GILMORB.

PIANO ACTION. APPLICATION FILED JAN.10, 1907. RENBWED JUNE 18. 1910.

Patented Aug. 9, w10.

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I. F. GILMORE.

PIANO ACTION. APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 1o, 19o?. BENBWED JUNE 1a, 1910.

Patented Aug. 9, 1910.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IRA F. GILMORE, OF BLOOIVIING'ION, ILLINOIS.

PIANO-ACTION.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRA F. GILMORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bloomington, in the county of McLean and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Piano-Action, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to piano act-ions for use in connection with musical instruments of the type set forth inA my co-pending application, Serial No. 351,653, but said invention is not limited to such use, and may be successfully employed in stringed instruments.

Une of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a very simple structure wherein the keys coperate directly with the hammers, and to employ effective devices that will secure the operative movements of the hammers upon the movement of the keys, but prevent the rebound of the former, said devices being relatively adjustable in order that they may be made to properly cooperate.

A further and important object is to provide simple and effective damper operating mechanism that is actuated both by the key and pedal mechanism of any desired character.

In the drawings z-Figure 1 is a detail sectional view through a musical instrument, showing the novel action. Fig. 2 is a similar view, illustrating a modified form of construction.

Referring first to the embodiment disclosed in Fig. 1, a music tongue 3 is disclosed, that is operated upon by a hammer et, pivoted as shown at 5 to a bracket or flange G that is secured to a suitable supporting bar 7. The butt of the hammer is in the form of an enlargement 8, having spaced depending lugs 9 and 10, the inner faces 11 and 12 of which respectively constitute actuating and stop shoulders and are both located at one side of the pivot. These lugs form a socket 13, between them. A key 1A is pivotally supported between its ends, as shown at 15, and on the .rear end of such key is mounted a vertically sliding standard 1G having a slot 17 therein. A fastening device 18 passes through the slot into the key, and serves to hold the standard 16 against its sliding movement, and in dilferent positions on the key. A roller 19 is journaled on the upper end of the standard above the key, and said roller normally bears Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed January 10, 1907, Serial No. 351,654. Renewed .Tune

Patented Aug. 9, 1910. 1s, 1910. serial No. 567,6534.

against the lower end of the lug 9. This roller is so associated with the lugs 9 and 10 and the shoulders 11 and 12 thereof, that upon the depression of the outer end of the key 14, the roller will ride against the shoulder 11, and thereby quickly swing the hammer l into engagement with the music tongue 3. The engagement of said hammer with the tongue takes place, however, before the roller 19 enters into the socket 18, and when said roller is in the socket, it will also be against the shoulder 12 of the lug 10, said shoulder and lug being so arranged that they will maintain the hammer out of engagement with the music tongue, and consequently prevent any rebound of said hammer after 1t has once struck the tongue. It will thus be seen that simple actuating mechanism for the hammer is provided, and at the same time, said means also constitutes a lock that prevents the rebound of the hammer.

An upright lever 20 is fulcrumed between its ends, as shown at 21 upon a supporting bar22. The upper end of this lever carries a damper 23 that is normally in engagement with the lower end of the music tongue. rThe lower terminal of the lever is offset at an inclination, as shown at 24, and is disposed directly adjacent to the inner end of the key. A roller 25 is journaled on said inner end of t-he key, and operates against the offset terminal 24 of the lever. Thus when the outer end of the key is depressed to swing the hammer 4, the roller 25 will ride up the inclined terminal 24 of the lever, and consequently swing the upper end of the lever so as to carry the damper 23 away from the tongue. Upon the release of the key, said damper will return to its position in engagement with the tongue. To hold the dampers away from the tongues, a damper actuating plate 2G is-employed that is pivoted as shown at 27 on a. supporting bar 28, and this plate has the rear portion of its upper end associated with the offset terminal 2st of the lever, cushioning material 29 being preferably interposed between the two. The plate 26 furthermore has a forwardly eX- tending and angularly disposed arm 80, which is engaged by a pin 31 carried by the upper end of a. link 32, the lower end of this link being suitably connected to a pedal 88. It will thus be evident byldepressing the outer end of the pedal, the plate 26 will be swung rearwardly, and inasmuch as all the levers are engaged with said plate, the

dampers, carried by said levers, will be swung out of engagement with the music tongues.

A slight modification of the above described structure, is disclosed in Fig. 2. A horizontally disposed music tongue is shown at 34, and coperating therewith, is an upwardly swinging hammer 35 pivoted, as shown at 3G to a bracket or flange 37 that is mounted on a supporting bar 3S. The enlarged pivoted end 39 of the hammer has an actuating lug 40 and a stop lug 4l, forming between them a socket 42. The key 43 pivoted, as shown at 44 between its ends, carries at its inner end, a transversely disposed adjustable standard 45, on the upper end of which is mounted a roller 46. This roller cooperates successively with the lugs 40 and 41, and moves into the socket 42. The operation is exactly the same as that of the first described embodiment, that is to say, the hammer is swung upwardly by the engagement of the roller 46 with the lug 40, but. its rebound is prevented by its final engagementwith the lug 41, as will be evident. A damper 47 cooperates with the music tongue, and is supported on a stem 48 that is in turn supported by the inner end of a lever 49 fulcrumed between its ends, as shown at 50. IThe outer end of the lever has an inclined portion 5l, against which operates a roller 52 carried by the inner end of the key 43. A damper actuating plate 53, pivoted as shown at 54 to a supporting bar 55, operates against the under side of the outer end of the lever 49, and carries a forwardly extending angularly disposed arm 56 borne against by the upper end of a link 57. This link is pivoted, as shown at 58 to the inner end of a pedal 59.l It will be noted that this structure operates in the saine manner, and has the saine advantages as that already set forth, and a further description thereof is believed to be unnecessary.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation, and many advantages of the herein described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, and minor details of construction, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

IIaving thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a piano action, the combination with a swinging hammer having a butt provided with integral spaced lugs forming a rounded socket between them, of a key, and a rounded device carried by the key and successively engaging the lugs to respectively swing the hammer and prevent its rebound, said device moving into the socket and substantially filling the inner end thereof.

2. In a piano action, the combination with a swinging hammer having a butt provided with spaced lugs2 said lugs forming a socket between them, of a key, and a roller carried by the key and successively engaging the lugs to respectively swing the hammer and prevent its rebound, said roller being movable into the socket.

3. In a piano action, the combination with a swinging hammer having a butt provided with spaced lugs, said lugs forming a socket between them, of a key, a standard adjustably mounted on the key, means securing the standard against movement and in different positions on the key, and a roller journaled on the standard and successively engaging the lugs to respectively swing the hammer and prevent its rebound, said roller being movable into the socket.

4. In a piano action, the combination with a swinging hammer having spaced lugs at its pivoted end, of a key pivotally mounted between its ends, a standard adjustably mounted on the inner end of the key, a roller journaled on the standard and successively cooperating with the lugs of the hammer to respectively swing the hammer and prevent its rebound, a lever fulcrumed between its ends, a damper connected to one end of the lever, a roller carried by the inner end of the key and engaging the other end of the lever, a swinging damper actuating plate that engages the latter end of the lever, said plate having an angularly disposed arm, and a pedal having a link connection with the arm.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

' IRA F. GILMORE.

IVitnesses:

JESSE M. GooDi-IEART, MARY R. CRo'rTY. 

